


Who you gonna call?

by brilliantbanshee



Series: Lone Star Week [3]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Ghost Hunters, But they love them anyways, Carlos is the ray of sunshine counterpart to grumpy Paul, I can't believe that is a tag but I love it, Judd is grumpy, Just a lot of flirting for TK and Carlos, M/M, Marjan and TK are buds and business partners, Paul and Marjan are very done with their shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24027118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brilliantbanshee/pseuds/brilliantbanshee
Summary: A charity event brings together the two most notorious internet ghost hunting teams: Marjan and TK of the borderline irreverent Spirit Squad and Paul and Carlos of the historically accurate Paranormal Investigators. Their task: investigate Austin’s notoriously haunted Littlefield House. The twist: they have to swap partners for the night to do so. It should be entertaining; if nothing else.Or, The Ghost Hunting AU literally no one asked for.--911: Lone Star Week Day 3 - AU
Relationships: Carlos Reyes & Paul Strickland (9-1-1 Lone Star), Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Grace Ryder/Judd Ryder (9-1-1 Lone Star), Marjan Marwani & TK Strand
Series: Lone Star Week [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1733593
Comments: 17
Kudos: 72
Collections: 9-1-1 Lone Star Week, 9-1-1 Lone Star ▶ Carlos Reyes / Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand





	Who you gonna call?

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think I've ever actually written an AU before, so I guess I can check that off the bucket list.

A chorus of swearing greeted Grace as she unlocked her front door. She entered the kitchen to find her husband messing around with the Keurig, which was apparently the subject of his ire. She shook her head fondly and crossed the kitchen to wrap her arms around his waist, “Struggling there, my love?”

Judd relaxed ever so slightly at her touch, but didn’t back down, “The goddamn thing never works for me! I don’t understand why we can’t just have a regular coffee maker instead of this infernal thing.” 

Grace scoffed, “We have that because it was a Christmas present from my parents, and because you broke the coffee maker, remember?” 

Judd deflated a bit at this, but continued his grumbling, “I still think it’s too complicated. I just want some coffee and it’s messing with me I swear!” 

Grace leaned around him and reached around the back to flip the power switch. The machine beeped and began to brew the pod Judd had put in the chamber. Judd turned to face her, face sheepish, “Have I told you lately how wonderful and talented you are?” he asked. 

Grace laughed and leaned into him, “You may have yesterday, but it’s always good to hear. Now, what’s up with you that’s got you so flustered you can’t figure out a simple machine?”

Judd’s scowl returned, “I have that job tonight, and I’m not looking forward to it.”

Grace frowned, “The charity one? Why are you upset about that?”

“Because it’s a bunch of kids playing ghost hunters. They’re ‘youtube people,’ I’m sure they're going to think they’re too good for this and be whiny and just annoying kids in general.”

Grace burst out laughing and Judd looked at her, bewildered, “What’s so funny?” he demanded.

“I’m sorry Judd, I just didn’t realize I had married a Scooby-Doo villain. You do hear yourself, right? You’re about one rubber mask away from “you meddling kids” and frankly, I think it’s adorable.” 

Judd tried to scowl, but he couldn’t hide pleasure that his wife’s laughter brought him. “Just you wait,” he told her, “they are going to be ridiculous and needy and probably get themselves into all sorts of trouble, and it’s going to be up to me to save their asses.”

Grace nodded with mock sympathy, “Well, I guess you’d better go before you’re late,” she said handing him the travel mug now filled with coffee, “you wouldn’t want to keep those meddling kids waiting.”

Judd shook his head as he leaned down to give his wife a kiss, “You’re a menace.”

“But you love me anyway.” 

“That I do.” 

* * *

“We’re here at the hauntingly historical Littlefield House on UT’s campus. The house was--”

“Cut!” Marjan called, looking up from her camera. She raised an eyebrow at her partner, “Hauntingly historical? Really TK?”

“It’s alliteration, Marj. It’s good storytelling technique!”

“It’s cheesy is what it is. Why don’t you try it again without the cheese factor, or I can do the intro.”

“You did the intro last episode, we rotate these things Marjan.” 

“But this is a special episode outside of our regular season, so our usual rules don’t apply.”

“You’re only saying that because you like the spotlight.” 

“No, I’m saying that because you should give the people what they want!” 

“That hurts, Marj.” 

Marjan’s retort was interrupted by the appearance of two men weighed down by bags of equipment approaching the house. “Hello,” the taller of the two shouted as they grew closer, “you must be the Spirit Squad _,_ TK and Marjan, right?”

The pair nodded and walked forward, intercepting the pair halfway down the front walk. “And you must be Carlos and Paul; the Paranormal Investigators. It’s good to meet you both,” TK said, reaching out to shake both their hands. 

“The P.I.s for short,” Paul reminded him, returning his greeting. 

There was a flurry of handshakes and polite greetings before they all turned to look at the building in front of them. 

“Looks pretty imposing,” Paul noted, “are we sure there’s only one ghost in that whole place?”

Marjan shrugged, “Only one agoraphobic mental patient at least. Who’s to say what else?” 

They all studied the house, a stately victorian, for a few more silent moments. 

“Well,” said Carlos, breaking the silence, “shall we?” 

TK gave an exaggerated arm flourish and a beaming smile, “After you.”

Paul and Carlos continued their journey up the walk and TK turned to join them, but paused when he saw Marjan shaking her head at him exasperatedly, “Two minutes and you’ve already started with the flirting,” she said mournfully, “Tonight is going to last forever, isn’t?”

“Lay off Marj, have you seen him? How could I _not_?”

Marjan took a deep sigh and looked up to the sky in exasperation, “What did I do wrong in a past life to get stuck with you?” 

TK rolled his eyes, “Don’t even start, you know you love me.”

“Don’t get too cocky Casanova. There are plenty of windows in this place, a tragic accident might just happen.”

“You’d miss me.” 

“But think about the peace and quiet I could have.” 

* * *

Judd sipped his coffee as he watched the 4 kids enter the property. He was so not looking forward to this. He understood why the university was hosting this; he just didn’t know why he had to be the one in charge of them. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he told Grace how much he was dreading tonight. He just knew this was going to be a long, pointless night. As they cleared the entrance and began looking around he heaved a weary sigh and set his mug down on top of the piano he had been leaning on and walked over to them. 

“Welcome to the Littlefield House,” he said with what he hoped was a passable imitation of enthusiasm - or at least tolerance. “My name is Judd Ryder, head engineer for UT’s campus. I’ll be your contact tonight. If you have any questions I’ll try to do my best to answer them and I’m going to go over some ground rules before you get started. Any questions so far?”

The small group all shook their heads and Judd carried on, “Good. Rule number 1 - don’t touch anything you don’t need to. Everything in this home is old, valuable, and much of it was donated by some of the University’s very generous benefactors. You break it, you buy it. Rule 2: don't do anything stupid. I'm not looking to spend tonight pulling anyone out of a hole or anything of the kind. Follow those two rules and we'll get along just fine. Any questions?"

Carlos nodded, “Mr. Ryder,” he asked, “Would you mind giving us a little background on the house and it’s supposed haunting?”

Judd looked at him incredulously, “On camera?”

Carlos nodded patiently, “That is how we tell our stories sir. I think our viewers would appreciate having it come from an expert - it makes it all seem more reliable. I’m sure as a highly respected employee of the University you must have some first-hand knowledge of the history, and may have seen some of the instances first hand. Your input would be invaluable. 

Judd straightened, “Well,” he began, “I suppose that I would be uniquely qualified.”

Carlos smiled warmly, “Excellent. Let’s get it set up.”

Judd was busy flattening out the wrinkles in his shirt; he didn’t notice the fist bump that Carlos and Paul subtly exchanged or the look that passed between TK and Marjan. 

* * *

“The Littlefield house was built in 1893 for Civil War veteran George Littlefield,” Judd began, “at the time of its construction it cost $50,000 dollars to build. As I’m sure you can imagine, it would cost a pretty penny more to build today.” 

“Three guesses which side he was on,” Paul muttered and Carlos swatted at him, motioning at Judd to continue. 

“Major Littlefield even went as far as to have a Himilayan Cedar imported and planted on the property. It is still standing today and is one of the most distinctive trees on campus. You can see it through that window right there,” he said gesturing towards the window to their left, “When his wife Alice Littlefield died in 1935, she donated the house and its property to the University, or which she and her husband had always been big supporters. These days the ground floor has been maintained in its former glory for hosting events and tours, while the second floor houses offices.” 

“What about the third floor?” TK asked from off-camera. It looks like there are turrets from the outside, are those accessible.

Judd looked thoughtful, “I think they might be used for storage. To tell you the truth, no one really goes up that far much. It gets real hot up there on those upper floors.” 

“Can you tell us more about the spirit that supposedly resides here and the activity that people have witnessed?” Marjan prompted. 

Judd nodded, “The ghost is said to be that of Alice Littlefield, the widow of Major Littlefield. People say that she still haunts this house as she never really left it even in life. Some say that she was agoraphobic, others say that her husband kept her locked in the attic. No one knows for sure, but everyone agrees that she didn’t get out much and that’s probably why she is still here.”

“What kind of experiences have people reported?” 

Judd scoffed lightly, “people say that they have seen a ghostly figure walking past the windows at night or wandering the grounds. A few even claim they’ve heard the piano playing when there was no one there to play it.”

“To clarify, you mean this piano, right?” Carlos asked, panning towards the grand piano next to them.”

“That’s the one,” Judd confirmed with a nod. 

“What about you Mr. Ryder, have you ever had any experiences with this spirit?”

Judd shook his head, “No, can’t say that I have,” he said evenly. 

“Wonderful,” Carlos exclaimed, shutting off his camera, “That was great, thanks so much for your time Mr. Ryder.”

Judd nodded as they began sorting through equipment, “Not a problem. Listen, the university has me on call tonight for y’all, so if you need anything let me know. I’ll be around. And please,” he added as an afterthought, “don’t break anything. I hate filling out that paperwork.”

The group gave him solemn nods as he exited, sighing heavily and muttering something about kids under his breath. 

The group watched him leave and then looked at each other, each trying their best to hide their grins. 

“So,” TK asked, “shall we get started?”

* * *

The deal was this: a charity had asked the two most popular ghost hunting teams on the internet to get together for a special fundraising episode, with a twist (to be decided by a vote from their viewers). A week of polling provided them with the result - the two teams were going to be partner swapping tonight. 

According to charity’s PR rep, fans had commented that they wanted to see this partner swap because the two teams were so different. The P.I.s were very fact-driven; their show erred on the side of documentary. The Spirit Squad, on the other hand, was much more sensational. Sure they did the facts, but their show revolved a lot more around their antics than the history. Fans were eager to see what kind of dynamic a mashup would bring. 

Which brings us back to this moment as the two teams divvy up their equipment and head to meet their new partners for the evening. TK hands a microphone pack to Marjan, humming to himself all the while. She levels a glare at him, “Would you stop that?” 

“Stop what?”

“Stop being so pleased about this!”

“Marj,” TK began emphatically, “Of course I’m happy. I get to spend an evening with Mr. Paranormal Heartthrob over there. I’m fucking thrilled.”

Marjan rolled her eyes, “Great. While you are off doing salacious things on company time, I am going to be stuck with Mr. Encyclopedia.” 

“Come on, he doesn’t seem that bad.”

“TK, you’ve seen their show. The dude somehow knows literally everything and can spend multiple minutes talking about the significance of various wood types in regional architecture. I might not be pushing you out a window tonight, but I might end up jumping through one.”

Now it was TK’s turn to roll his eyes, “Give the guy a chance Marj. You know how it can be when you’re filming. He might be a completely different person off-camera. You might be surprised and actually end up liking him.” 

Her expression softened incrementally, but her voice was still firm, “We’ll see.” 

Across the room, a similar conversation was happening. 

“You can’t seriously expect me to spend a night working with her do you, Carlos?”

Carlos raised an eyebrow, “What’s wrong with her?” he asked skeptically.

Paul seemed to falter a bit, “I mean, it doesn’t seem like she takes much seriously. She’ll probably be off-task all night. Besides, she’s the one who’s catchphrase is ‘come at me demon!’ Actually, I feel like the fact that she even _has_ a catchphrase is telling enough.” 

“I think you’re being unfair.”

“Unfair? I would never!” 

Carlos narrowed his eyes at him, “I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not right now and it is honestly concerning to me. You need to give her a chance.”

“No, I don’t think I do.” 

Carlos sighed, “What did we say about not being a dick around people who don’t know you’re always kind of a dick?”

Paul looked at least slightly chastised, “Fine, I’ll play nice.” 

“That’s all I ask. Now,” he said cheerfully, snapping the last of his gear on, “it’s time to go meet our new partners!”

“You know, sometimes I kind of hate you.” 

“I’m okay with that.” 

* * *

Marjan swung her flashlight around the grounds as she walked. She and Paul had taken the grounds and first floor while TK and Carlos would be tackling the upper floors. So far all she had seen was a lot of grass and awkward silence. 

“So,” she began, turning to face her companion, “any thoughts on what we’ll find?”

Paul shrugged, “Not too sure. All the lore says that if we see anything, it should be Alice so I’m hoping we’ll find some evidence of her. The reports make it seem like she’s pretty active, I’d love to catch some of that.” 

Marjan hummed in agreement, “That would be cool. I’m a slut for some good audio evidence.”

Paul raised an eyebrow at her. “What?” she asked defensively,

He shook his head, “Nothing. I just figured you were more about the video evidence. You know, where you could be seen doing something crazy.”

She scoffed, “Yeah, that stuff’s fun, but when it comes to actual evidence, I find audio to be more reliable. There are just too many factors when dealing with video evidence. Besides,” she added as she crossed to the other side of the yard, “It’s not that I don’t enjoy doing all that stuff, but it’s all for ratings. I know how to make a brand.”

“You know Marwani, I might have been wrong about you.”

“You can’t believe everything you see on the internet Strickland.”

Paul laughed, “No, I suppose you’re right.”

They continued in silence for the next few minutes, each studying their devices. After completing a full circuit of the yard Paul sighed, “Guess that was a colossal waste of time.”

Marjan shrugged, “I guess it depends on how you look at it. I’m just glad we were able to put entire floors between ourselves and that,” she said, gesturing over her shoulder towards the second-floor window that revealed flashlight beams moving. 

“You mean the flirt fest? Yeah, I’m not too broken up about missing out on that either.” 

Marjan nodded emphatically, “Don’t get me wrong, I love TK like a brother, and I want nothing more than for him to be happy. But I don’t feel the need to be in the room as it happens.”

Paul hummed his agreement, “Carlos is my best friend but when he is infatuated with someone, he is basically unbearable. I’ll take ghost hunting outside over witnessing that any day, thank you.” 

Marjan glanced back up at the window, “How gross do you think they are being right now?”

“On a scale of 1 to 10?” 

“Sure, why not?”

“11, definitely.” 

* * *

“So,” TK started awkwardly, “how’d you get into ghost hunting?”

“I watched my family die and have been determined to find their spirits ever since.” 

TK’s eyes grew wide, “Seriously?” he asked. 

Carlos chuckled, “No. I just liked scary movies and ghost stories as a kid and have always believed. You?”

TK shrugged, “I guess I’ve always believed too. My dad is huge into this stuff, so I learned a lot about it growing up. Then I met Marjan and we hit it off and she needed a partner so I just kind of, did it.” 

“Are you and your dad close?”

A small smile spread across his face, “Yeah. He’s the best. He’s a firefighter, and growing up I always wanted to follow in his footsteps, but this came along and kind of just fit, you know?”

Carlos nodded thoughtfully, “Yeah, I think I do. If you had told 15 year old me that I would be ghost hunting for a living, he would have thought you were crazy. But, I like it. I get to see new places, meet interesting people, and spend time with my best friend.”

“Well,” TK said, “I think it was a good choice.”

Carlos looked at him curiously, “Why’s that?”

TK grinned suggestively, “Because it means we met.” 

* * *

So far, the inside was not much more interesting than the grounds.

Marjan was starting to get antsy. She knew that ghost hunting was generally a “hurry up and wait” kind of situation, but she hated the long periods of nothing. At least she normally had TK to banter with. Tonight, she was stuck with a companion who was studying an abstract painting with far too much interest.

“I think this is an original Kelpe,” he said eventually.

“A what?” Marjan asked incredulously.

“A who,” he corrected, “Paul Kelpe was an American painter from about the 1930s until he died in the 80s. He was known for abstract art and retired to Austin before he died.”

Marjan stared at him, “How in the actual hell do you remember this stuff?”

“My mind is like a steel trap.”

Marjan had several things she’d like to say in response to that, but before she could even begin eerie music floated down the hall, effectively ending their conversation. 

They looked at each other, and Marjan was gratified to see her excitement reflected on Paul’s face. “Is that...” she started to ask at the same time Paul exclaimed “The piano!” 

They looked at each other for just a moment more before they hurried down the hall, back towards the piano. 

* * *

It took a few tries, Carlos managed to get the door to the turret room open. He and TK walked inside slowly, shining their flashlights around the room. 

“Wow,” TK said, and Carlos nodded his head in agreement. 

The room was filled with the scattered paraphernalia of life. It looked like everything had been left as is, as if the resident of the bedroom had just walked out the door, ready to start their day. If that day had been about 80 years ago, judging by the dust.

“It doesn’t look like anyone has been in here in ages,” TK noted as he gently brushed the dust off an ornate hand mirror.

Carlos was studying the doorway, “I think you might be right. It doesn’t look like there is any kind of lock or reason it should have been stuck, but it definitely did not open like a door that is commonly used.”

“I wonder whose stuff this is?” TK muttered as he examined the contents of the desk. “Whoever’s it is either loves antiques or it has been sitting here since it was new.”

Carlos had halted abruptly in his own exploration, staring at something on the table by the door. When he spoke, his voice was shaky.

“I think you might be spot on with the later,” he said.

TK turned around, frowning. “What makes you say that?”

Carlos picked up the item he had been studying and turned so TK could see it. It was an antique calling card, yellowed with age, but the name printed in delicate script was still legible; it read “Mrs. Alice Littlefield.”

“Well, shit.” TK breathed. Carlos nodded.

* * *

They reach the piano at the same time, equally out of breath. They each examine their various devices. “I’m getting some pretty strong readings,” Marjan noted.

Paul nodded, “Me too. He moved around the piano, examining it, “I don’t see any wires or triggers, or anything that suggests that this could have been caused by another person.”

Marjan ran an experimental hand across the keys. They played normally. She hit a few notes, but they all sounded as they should. “It seems to be working just fine too.” She lifted the lid and they each shone their flashlights inside.

“Everything looks normal in here too,” she noted after a while. She looked around the room and gestured at one of the cameras they had set up. “Maybe the static cam caught something.”

Paul nodded, pulling out his phone to make a note, “I will definitely look. Hopefully we got good audio too.”

Marjan nodded, “This is so cool,” she gushed.

Paul smiled, “It is, isn’t it?”

* * *

Tk looked around at the contents of the room, “It doesn’t look like anything has been touched since she died.”

Carlos nodded, gently fingering a lace handkerchief on the bedside table, “It looks like she just up and left. It’s kind of sad, actually.”

TK looked at him curiously, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, it doesn’t seem like she had anyone who cared enough to go through her things after she died. Once she died it seems like she just…stopped existing and the world went on.”

TK didn’t really know what to say to that. He glanced around the room and then back at Carlos.

“Unfortunately, I think that is generally what happens, no matter who is left behind. But if it makes you feel any better, if people are right about Alice being the ghost here, she apparently had different plans.”

“I honestly don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.”

TK shrugged, “Me neither.”

“I guess what really bothers me is the thought of what will happen to us when we’re gone. I don’t have much family left as it is, and not too many friends outside of Paul. Would there be anyone left to remember that I existed, or would it just be a room full of stuff that says _Carlos Reyes used to exist_?”

TK studied him for a moment before speaking, “I know where you’re coming from, believe me. All I have are my dad and Marjan. But I think that it’s more a matter of what we do than what we leave behind.”

Carlos smiled at him, “That’s pretty wise.”

TK grinned, “I do my best.” He took a few steps closer to Carlos. They were so close now that he could every nuance of brown in the other man’s rich, warm eyes. “If it makes you feel any better,” he said softly, “I’d care if you were gone. I’d help to keep your memory around.”

Carlos smiled at him, “Then I guess that means I should do the same for you.”

“It’s a deal then,” TK replied, sticking out his hand. Carlos took it and the shook, but their hands lingered for several moments longer than necessary. Carlos was the first to pull away, albeit reluctantly.

“I guess we should keep going with the actual investigation part before our respective partners hunt us down and murder us.”

TK nodded solemnly, “True. What good is our pact if we both die at the same time, murdered by our perfectionist co-workers?”

They exchanged a grin, but Carlos frowned as TK’s expression shifted and his gaze drifted past him. “Everything okay?” he asked hesitantly.

TK didn’t answer right away, “I’m not sure,” he said eventually. “I thought I saw something but...I don’t know. Probably just a trick of the light.” 

Carlos looked like he wanted to say something, but the sound of his phone alarm cut off whatever it was that he had to say. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. “That’s the 15-minute warning. We have to be out of here pretty soon. We should head back downstairs and help the others gather the equipment.

TK nodded and began to disassemble the camera they had set up in the corner of the room. “Hey Carlos?” he asked as he worked.

“Yeah?”

“We make a pretty good team, don't we?”

Carlos grinned, turning away to hide the blush darkening his cheeks, “Yeah, I think we do.” 

* * *

A few days later, TK was walking up the sidewalk towards Paul’s house when he heard his name being called from behind him. He turned to see Carlos rushing to catch up with him. He couldn’t help the little flutter his heart did at the sight of him. He paused, letting the other man catch up.

“Hey,” Carlos greeted as he reached him, “What are you doing here?”

TK shrugged, “Honestly, I have no idea. Paul called me and asked me to come over.”

Carlos frowned, “He asked me the same thing. Which, is not weird since we are friends and business partners, but you being here too is strange. No offense,” he added hastily.

“None taken,” TK assured him. “Honestly, I was thinking the same thing.”

They stood awkwardly on the sidewalk for another moment before Carlos shrugged, “I guess the only way to find out is to head in.”

TK nodded and gestured towards the door, “After you.”

Carlos let them in and led TK towards the office. When they entered the space, they were even more surprised that Paul was not alone.

“Marjan?” TK asked incredulously, “What are you doing here?”

Paul answered, “I called her first because I needed someone else to confirm that you two are as big of idiots as I thought you were.”

Marjan nodded solemnly, “And I can confirm, you are the biggest idiots.”

TK and Carlos looked at each other, baffled. “What did we do?” TK asked defensively. 

Marjan and Paul simply exchanged a look before Paul turned his laptop around for them to see. There was a video feed paused on it. It seemed to be one of the feeds from the turret room. Carlos gave the other two a confused look, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Oh, just wait,” Paul said, reaching down to hit play.

They all watched silently, Marjan and Paul watching their companions more than the video. TK and Carlos watched as they moved through the frame, getting closer. TK blushed as they grasped hands. He knew what part this was, he just had no idea how sappy they actually looked. He was just grateful there was no sound. As he watched, he saw a figure appear over Carlos’s shoulder. His eyes widened. That couldn’t be…

“Is that an FBA?” Carlos asked weakly, looking up at Paul and Marjan. Paul glared at him, “Just watch.”

They all turned their attention back to the screen to see as the figure became more solid. There was no denying that it was the ghostly figure of a woman. She remained there, just past Carlos’s shoulder, for a least a minute before vanishing as quickly as she had appeared.

Present Carlos and TK looked at each other. “I guess you did see something,” Carlos said weakly. TK was still too shell-shocked to respond. They had been in the same room as a Full-bodied Apparition – the holy grail of paranormal investigating – and they hadn’t even noticed.

He looked over at their partners, who seemed torn between amusement and frustration. He understood the feeling.

Eventually, Paul spoke, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that you two were so busy flirting you did not notice a literal ghost not even two feet from you.”

Carlos ran a shaky hand through his hair, “Yeah, I think that about covers it,” he said weakly.

Marjan snorted, “Actually, it looks like she yeeted herself out of there as soon as possible. Face it – you guys are so gross that even the dead don’t want to deal with you.”

TK and Carlos locked eyes. After a moment Carlos shrugged and TK groaned, “The shippers are going to have a field day with this. We will never have another moment of peace.”

Carlos considered this for a moment, before a sly grin spread across his face, “Maybe, or we could just beat them at their own game?”

TK frowned at him, “What do you mean?”

“TK Strand, would you like to go on a date with me?”

There was a beat of silence before Paul and Marjan groaned and TK grinned, “I thought you’d never ask.”

Marjan looked at Paul, “Our lives are ruined,” she said mournfully.

He nodded grimly, “Let’s be real though; we never stood a chance.”

* * *

Notes:   
  


I actually did a lot of research for this one and since once an English major always an English major or something like that, you can find my sources [here](https://www.ranker.com/list/scary-ghost-stories-from-austin-texas/lyra-radford), [here](https://austin.curbed.com/maps/austin-haunted-places-to-go-map), [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Kelpe), and [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littlefield_House). If nothing else it's worth it for a look at the house (which is a real place) because it does give off some serious spooky vibes in my opinion. 

**Author's Note:**

> Holy almost 5k AU Batman. That wasn't the plan, but here we are I suppose. 
> 
> Like it? Hate it? Let me know in the comments! I had a lot of fun with this one and I'd really like to know what you guys think.
> 
> Come find me on [tumblr](https://brillliantbanshee.tumblr.com/)


End file.
